Notice End Date: March 24, 2025

Vendor Name: Thor Labs Automatic Processing/Fusion Station with Cleaver

Contract Amount: $140,879.98

Agency Procurement Manager: SC Young

Agency Procurement Manager Email: scy@clemson.edu

Agency Procurement Manager Telephone#: 864-656-2830

The Agency hereby provides notice that it intends to enter into a sole source contract per S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-1560 with Vendor for the following supplies, services, information technology, or construction:

Clemson University seeks to sole source the purchase of a Automatic Processing/Fusion Station with Cleaver from Thor Labs.  We need to design and fabricate fiber bundles that can sustain >1000 Celsius for our joint DOE project with Wests Virginia University. The bundle diameter has to be ≤ 2mm, and the heat-resistant length has to be ≥ 15 cm. GPX3800 utilizes a filament heating element for heat control which is known to be the most robust mechanism for creating tapered fiber bundles. Thorlabs/Vytran glass processor is the only one in the market with the resistive fusion filament technology with a precise motion and heat controls that has a translation stage distance of  ≥ 15cm.  A large diameter cleaver (LDC401A) shares the same fiber inserts as GPX3800. This ensures the minimal loss of alignment during the transfer of fibers and bundles between the two machines and maximizes the fabrication quality and efficiency.  This equipment can only be purchased from this supplier.  For these reasons, this is a sole source procurement.

Agency's justification for a sole source procurement may be viewed or immediately obtained at: Agency Procurement Manager (Listed Above)

PROTESTS:
Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract, shall notify the appropriate chief Procurement officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract and has timely notified the appropriate chief procurement officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner set forth below within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.
A protest must be in writing, filed with the appropriate chief procurement officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the appropriate chief procurement officer within the time provided above. Days are calculated as provided in S.C. Code Ann. § 11-35-310(13).

Any Notice Of Intent To Protest And Protest Must Be Addressed To: Materials Management Officer